Chapter Thirty Six

I must be out of my mind if I think this is going to work, Julia thought as she wandered aimlessly down the empty sidewalks of Yorktown.

Her mind was churning with anxiety as she thought of what she was about to do. It was risky. It was idiotic. But it was thus far the only options they had to find the missing Captain. The guilt she felt from earlier came rushing back at full force. None of this would have happened in the first place if she had stayed with him. Instead, she allowed anger and jealousy to dictate her choices. Now, she paid the price by letting those creatures take Kirk.

She was suddenly thankful that Scotty and Emily decided to give her a tracking device. The device meant they could lock onto her signal and beam her back to Yorktown once she managed to find Kirk. Though, Julia never panned on using it for herself. She wasn't sure whether or not the device could beam two people at once, but Scotty had been adamant about it functioning properly. Experience taught her that Scotty's instincts were usually spot on, so she silently prayed that it would work while they were wherever the Ancient Ones were.

We don't even know if they changed location or not, she suddenly realized.

Spock had mentioned that it was unlikely they would change their location due to the technicality of the situation. But she had her doubts on whether that was true or not. She suspected T'Mhal would at least be smart enough to change tactics after their last disastrous outcome.

It didn't take long for Julia to reach an area that had few lights on. Since Yorktown was out in space, everything about it was artificial, including the sunlight. So, this part of the Starbase was darker than other areas. Julia had already reached the conclusion that T'Mhal and his followers preferred working in the dark, so she assumed that she had a higher chance of being caught in an area like this. At least, that was what she hoped for.

With a heavy sigh, Julia finally stopped in her tracks when she felt a sudden chill sweep through her. She scanned the area a few times after noticing that the sidewalks were strangely empty. Since it was so late in the evening, she wasn't entirely surprised by that. But she would have thought there would at least be a few pedestrians here and there.

That was when she noticed that she wasn't entirely alone. A shudder swept through her as she finally spotted the creature lingering in the shadows. As always, it was impossible to make out their face while it was shrouded by the cloak it wore. One thing that did take Julia by surprise was that she was no longer afraid of said creature. Seeing it again only fueled her resolve to make sure that Kirk found a way out of this mess, without suffering the same fate she and Emily had suffered.

"I'm not going to let you take anyone else," she snapped when the creature stared her down with beady black eyes.

Her fists clenched while she tried to maintain a calm demeanor. She knew that showing fear wouldn't help matters. These creatures lived off of the fear that she felt for so long. The terror she felt upon waking up in that prison cell nearly four years ago hadn't helped matters.

"Are you truly willing to let yourself be taken so easily, mortal?" the creature sneered in disgust.

"I'm willing to do the right thing," she nearly rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Do they really think that they're so entitled to what they can do? she wondered. It was painfully obvious that these creatures thought they were above everyone else. Back in the prison, she recalled how often they would sneer upon her as if she was just wasted space. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering why these creatures bothered wasting their time with their 'experiments'. Did they find enjoyment in torturing innocent people taken from another world?

"Then you are a foolish mortal to believe we will leave you and the other alone." Julia stiffened when the creature let out a small chuckle. It finally emerged from the shadows, revealing the same bald features that all of the other 'Ancient Ones' had. Black eyes stared back at her with hatred, sending shivers of dread through her. She struggled to maintain her composure as it approached her. "I believe it is time you were taken back. Your friend will soon meet your fate."

"Yeah, I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen," she fired back. The creature only seemed amused with her response. There was a time when she had been too terrified just to speak with them. Now, she was determined to make sure that they didn't hurt anyone else. "Just take me already, and bring the Captain back."

Annoyance swept through Julia when the creature merely chuckled. It was a sound that sent shivers through her.

"I believe we have other plans for both of you…"

It took a few seconds for Julia to register what the creature meant by that. Before she could make a retort, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her skull. The last thing she saw as she lost consciousness was the creature glaring down at her, with eyes as dark as a black hole.

…

There were times when Julia seriously questioned her own sanity.

Between choosing to stay in a world she didn't belong in, and agreeing to go on a date with Captain James T. Kirk, she didn't know what was worse. Letting herself get captured again had been at the top of her list of stupid things to do.

She bit back a groan as she slowly regained consciousness. By the time she had begun to stir, she found herself back in a place she'd dreaded waking up in again. Getting captured had been inevitable. She knew it was necessary to track down Kirk and give him the tracking device so the others could take him back.

The problem was, the tracking device only worked one way. She would have to give it to Kirk and hope that he activated it. Otherwise they were both stuck in the same compound until the Enterprise crew somehow found them. And Julia doubted they would find them before the Ancient Ones had their way with them. That thought alone sent a shiver of unease through her, especially when she knew what they were capable of.

"I'm glad to see that you're finally awake."

Julia flinched at the sound of Kirk's voice. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see that he was sitting in another cell beside hers. To her relief, he didn't look nearly as battered as she felt from getting knocked out. He'd suffered from minor cuts and bruises, but aside from that, he looked relatively fine.

"How long was I out?" she asked warily, afraid of making eye contact with the Captain.

After the argument they had before he was taken, she felt incredibly guilty for what had happened. Kirk hadn't done anything wrong to become a victim of these jerks that kept interfering with their lives. He was a decorated Starfleet Captain, and it surprised her that the Ancient Ones were bold enough to kidnap him in the first place.

"Since you were brought here?" When Julia rolled her eyes and he shifted against the metal bars separating them, she thought she saw him smirk a little. "'bout two hours, give or take. It's hard to keep track of the time in this shithole."

Again, she grimaced at his use of language. Though she couldn't necessarily blame him for the predicament they were in. Their lives had been hectic enough without the Ancient Ones interfering with them. Now, Julia wasn't sure if their lives would ever be the same after all was said and done.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," she murmured while avoiding his wary gaze. "None of this would've happened if I'd kept my big mouth shut."

Kirk only offered a small smile of his own at that. Despite the situation they were in, Julia couldn't help but finally look him in the eyes. None of this would have happened if she had stayed with him that night. Instead, she'd listened to her emotions overwhelming her. People always seemed to suffer the price when she didn't think things through.

"Don't go kicking yourself in the balls for something you had no control over, Thompson," he finally reassured her. Julia nearly rolled her eyes at the crude way he spoke, though she couldn't hide her own look of surprise when Kirk eyed her seriously. "A lot of it was my own fault."

"How so?" she asked, tilting her head to one side curiously.

"I was an idiot for bringing up Carol," he explained with a shrug.

That was enough for Julia to chew the bottom of her lip. Her thoughts drifted back to how she reacted when he brought up Doctor Marcus. They had been close at one point while working together on the ship. But things had changed when Marcus accepted a grant from Starfleet. She recalled Emily mentioning how Marcus had been looking to work on some projects of her own, and the only way she could do so was by moving to a Starbase that offered such technology and services. Of course, she chose her projects over the Enterprise crew.

"Losing her was like losing a part of the family," she deadpanned. Kirk gave a reluctant nod of agreement to that, having already thought of how close they were. "But if that's the case, she shouldn't have left so easily."

The silence that followed was almost unnerving. Julia knew she was crossing the line by admitting that Marcus shouldn't have left them. But it was true. To say that her departure hadn't shocked the crew would have been an understatement.

"You know, you and Emily are a lot alike," Kirk remarked after giving it some thought.

Julia couldn't hide the sheepish smile that followed. She wasn't anything like Emily. Though, sacrificing herself for the Ancient Ones was something that Emily would have done. But Julia had other plans in mind when it came to getting Kirk out of this place. She'd already explained to Scotty how she was going to make the plan work. And though the CEO hadn't been happy with her idea, it made sense.

"They aren't going to stop with just us," she murmured after looking away. She heard Kirk grunt in agreement to that. "I'm willing to bet that they're still looking for Emily and Bones… If they get their hands on them, they're going to send us back."

"I thought we destroyed that machine they were using to send you back?" Kirk looked at her quizzically as Julia gave a small shrug of her own.

After seeing what the Ancient Ones were capable of, she knew they would have likely been gathering the technology needed to build another machine. That meant they were moving forward with their plans to take herself and Emily. She knew that was part of the reason they had taken Kirk – they were using him as bait.

"They would stoop to those levels," she muttered crossly.

And if they did send us back, there's no telling how that would affect the rest of the crew, she thought bitterly.

Julia squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she thought of how Emily and McCoy had first begun seeing each other. They never would have met if it wasn't for the Ancient Ones kidnapping her and sending her to another world. And the same was said for herself. Tearing families apart and kidnapping people from another world was never the right answer.

"Alright, so what do you suggest we do?" Kirk suddenly asked.

"Scotty gave me the device that was used to track us when we were on Altamid," she explained after shifting so that they were facing each other. The cells were right next to each other, so they were only inches apart. She was suddenly grateful that the Ancient Ones hadn't taken any of her belongings, otherwise they would've been in a bigger mess than they already were. "I think the only way we're going to stop them is if I give you the device and you activate it. He'll beam you off the planet and back to Yorktown."

She watched as Kirk's face morphed from a look of curiosity to one of surprise and concern. She knew she was taking a huge risk by staying wherever the heck they were. But it also meant stopping the Ancient Ones once and for all. She was determined to pull through with this plan.

"You're planning on destroying this whole compound," Kirk guessed what was on her mind. His eyes widened as he finally registered what she was implying. "Are you out of your damn mind? That's going to kill you!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," she snapped after narrowing her eyes. Julia looked down at the floor guiltily as she thought of everything that had led to her ultimate decision. Seeing how happy Emily and McCoy were together made her realize that she couldn't allow the Ancient Ones to tear them apart. And Kirk would eventually move on, along with the rest of the crew. "Look, I need to do this… not just for our sakes but for the sake of anyone else these assholes might try and kidnap. They aren't going to stop just with this world, and you know that."

Kirk was silent for a long while as he contemplated over her plan. He wasn't happy with the idea, and she understood why. But she hated knowing that the Ancient Ones would continue taking innocent people and ruining their lives. Something needed to be done about it, once and for all. Finally, Kirk let out a sigh of frustration and leaned back as he saw the sense in her plan.

"Em's gonna kill me if I let anything happen to you," he muttered crossly. "And truthfully, I'm not fond with the idea of letting anything happen to my friends."

Her heart nearly skipped a beat at the mention of them being friends. Possibly maybe more than that. Julia offered a small smile as their eyes met.

"Well, I'm glad to hear you consider myself a friend," she remarked thoughtfully. "But I'm still going through with this before she and the others show up. It's the only way to stop them once and for all, without risking someone else's life."

He still wasn't happy with that idea. And she understood why. Kirk believed in no-win scenarios. It was one of the many qualities of James Kirk that she had always admired. But in this case, someone had to lose in order for everyone else to stay safe.

"Figures that after I finally meet someone I actually like, she goes and decides to sacrifice herself for the greater good," Kirk nearly rolled his eyes.

It took a few seconds for her to register what he was implying. Julia's mouth nearly dropped open as realization dawned on her. She couldn't help but gape at him for the first few seconds. The fact that he was willing to admit that out loud meant more than she realized.

"You're willing to admit that you actually like someone like me?" she asked curiously.

"More or less," he replied with another shrug. Julia only smirked when he looked at her seriously for the first time since they met. "Like I said, there aren't many people like you out there."

That's probably a good thing, she disagreed with him silently, though Julia dared not say it out loud. Hearing Kirk admit out loud that he really did have feelings for her was more than a shock. Yet, it only added to her resolve to do the right thing and stop these creatures once and for all. She was tired of sitting around waiting for someone else to rescue her. It was time she started finally standing up for herself, and the people she cared about.

AN: I am so sorry it has taken me as long as it has to update this. I had an earlier version of this chapter all typed up and ready to go, but when I read through it again before uploading, I discarded the idea and had to formulate a new one. Truthfully, I feel like this version flows much more smoothly. I'm hoping to have this story done by the end of the year if at all possible... that means there's only a couple of chapters left before it's finally finished. Once the new movie comes out, I'll likely write a version of that with Emily included. At any rate, I wanted to thank everyone for their patience, and I especially wanted to thank Ree923 and SeverusSnape'sLove for reviewing!